The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1887-08-30
Lepr0Sy in Hawaii.
How King Rnlakaua's Subjects are
Decimated-

deterioration OF TIM native race are,
as l have said. the loss Of its charac-
ter by intermarriage, and its natural
Incidence and lack Of enterprise; but
hardly secondary TO these moral
causes Is the physical one Of leprosy.
This terrible disease Is much more
active in the islands than Is generally
known, or even suspected. How 1t
was originally introduced no one can
say, but there is no doubt that it Is
the genuine Oriental leprosy, andnot,
as has often been supposed abroad. a
form Of the malady peculiar to the
Hawaiian group. Leprosy Is gener-
ally charged 70 the Chinese, and may,
indeed. have been brought by them,
and, finding peculiarly favorable con
ditions IN the Hawaiian Islands.spread
with great rapidity. At present the
whole country Is affected by II, so
that one Is never sure that any man
or woman one meets IN the street Is
not suffering, IN inclplent or advanced
stage, from the disease. A very large
percentage Of the public revenue is
annually spent for the relief Of the
afflicted class, but ii Is probable that
!. Very few, relatively, are reached by
De efforts that are made. In q coun-
try ike the Hawaiian Kingdom even
this frightful scourge is traded upon
by unprincipled politicians, and made
TO serve their personal ends. When
the history Of leprosy here Is written
Ii viii make interesting reading, and
open the eyes Of many TO the abuses
which flourish under the present
regime. The chief agency IN the
treatment Of the disease Is the leper
settlement. most Iably-oficered by
DR.. Mauritz and his assistants. on the
island Of MOlOkai. about seventy
miles from Oahu, upon whose brist-
ling cliffs should be written Dante's
inscription over the mouth Of hell:
Abandon hope. all ye who enter here!
In this desOlate and barren place. so
rough and precipitOus in shore that
landing Is effected with difficulty, and
where the sea beats with such fury
that even fishing is impossible. are
collected from all the Islands those
whose case affords no hope or allevia-
, ton. Here q town has been built,
with wide and pleasant streets, and
neat houses set obout with little plots
of tillable ground, and here the IN
fortunate victims Of the disease, to
the number Of eight hundred or so,
are kept IN as uncomfortable a state
as possible until death comes to their
relief Cure, there Is none; IN spite
OF the utmost efforts Of scientific men,
the proper treatment, and even the
dzuse, Of leprosy are as little known
IN the time Of Moses; all that can
Be done Is to make easy the sufferers
descent TO the tomb, alleviate by NOR
phine ana other pain-deadening
drugs. the Serrible pangs which usu-
ally accompany his end. and lay
him away as speedily as possible
On the earth. cheated already Of
half its labor in bringing his body 10
corruption. The work Of death Is
sometimes slow. sometimes rapid, at
tended continually by novel and IN
expected phenomena, the disease as
suming PrOtean shapes as 1t puTsues
its course in different cases. Let but
the IeprOus spot. be It ever so small.
appear upon a man. and not al the
skill OF Ieach shall save him; his death
warrant Is signed. and 1t Is only a
question Of time when in slow or swift
succession his hair fall out: his ears
become swollen. pendulOus and mon
strOus: the membranes Of mouth and
cartilages Of nose are eaten away, and
% the voice assumes & harsh and rancOus
tone: the limbs enlarge and are Gov
cred with loathsOme scales; fingers
and toes drop off, suppuratIng sores
break out. and all the internal organs
become liberated and tuberculOus.
Up to the final stage the pain has
generally not been severe, but now
great suffering usually ensues, and
the victim dies IN agonIzlng pangs
unless anOdynes are generously ap-
piled. Details Of the disease are Of
the most hideOus description. and the
sight Of q Ieper IN advanced stages Of
the disease Is one that viii haunt q
man Of ordinary sensibilities to the
end OF his life.
On would think that the Govern
meg f a country afflicted with such
scolrge would spare no efforts TO
: stamp 1t out. but, IN point Of fact,
there seems to be little real inclination
to eradicate 1t. In theory, the princi-
pie Of strict isolation Is carried out.
and every case Of sickness that Is
found upon examination, to be lep-
rosy. Is sent at once to the Ieper col
ony at MoIokai; but, in truth, 1t Is
probable that the larger proportion Of
afflicted persons are allowed to keep
their condition concealed and become
centres from which may spread an
area Of disease. The lspers in AIoIo-
ksi. also. are permitted to marry and
prHDagate, and large number of
children are born Of them. 1t must
be said. however, that the children Of
leprOus parents are not necessarily
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